At A Glance

21 August 1980 at a glance

Day of the week
21 August 1980 was a Thursday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Ashes to Ashes” by David Bowie.
Top Film of 1980
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1980 was The Empire Strikes Back.
Star sign
The star sign for 21 August is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 21 August 1980 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 21 August 1980 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 21 August

  • 1968 Cold War: Nicolae Ceaușescu, leader of the Socialist Republic of Romania, publicly condemns the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, encouraging the Romanian population to arm itself against possible Soviet reprisals.
  • 1968 James Anderson Jr. posthumously receives the first Medal of Honor to be awarded to an African American U.S. Marine.
  • 1982 Lebanese Civil War: The first troops of a multinational force lands in Beirut to oversee the Palestine Liberation Organization's withdrawal from Lebanon.
  • 1991 Latvia declares renewal of its full independence after its occupation by the Soviet Union since 1940.
  • 1991 Coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev collapses.

Famous people born on 21 August

  • Hayden Panettiere, American actress (1989–2026)
  • Kenny Rogers, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (1938–2020)
  • Robert Lewandowski, Polish footballer (born 1988)
  • Zion Suzuki, Japanese footballer (born 2002)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 1980 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '1980 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 2 January – Workers at British Steel Corporation go on a nationwide strike over pay called by the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation, which has some 90,000 members among British Steel's 150,000 workforce, in a bid to get a 20% rise.
  • 25 February – The first episode of the popular political sitcom Yes Minister is broadcast on BBC2 television.
  • 31 March – National Heritage Act sets up the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
More events of 1980 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in 1980

Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher

Monarch

Elizabeth II

Pint of Beer

45p

Loaf of Bread

33p

Average House

£23,596

Weekly Wage

£120.00

Or

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Famous Faces Born in the 1980s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Theo James16 December 1984Actor & musicianView their day →Pac22 August 1986WrestlerView their day →Robert Pattinson13 May 1986Actor & film producerView their day →Andrew Garfield20 August 1983ActorView their day →Charlie Hunnam10 April 1980ActorView their day →Juno Temple21 July 1989ActressView their day →Rebecca Hall3 May 1982Actress & filmmakerView their day →Lewis Hamilton7 January 1985Racing driverView their day →

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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